Power engineers call off agitation

Bringing relief to the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), power engineers decided to discontinue their three-month long ‘work to rule’ agitation. The decision came after positive response from the Punjab government towards their demands.

The state executive committee of PSEB engineers’ association also decided to defer the announcement of date for the proposed one-day ‘mass casual leave’.

On strike since March 12, to protest the changes made by the Punjab government in the clauses of the Tripartite Agreement to extend the tenure of PSPCL chairman cum managaing director KD Chaudhari, engineers refused to perform subordinate duties after 5pm. he PSPCL management facing serious problems in redressing faults in transmission or distribution, across the state.

Baldev Singh Sran, president of the association, said they had been invited by the office of the deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal (who also holds the power portfolio) for a meeting on July 7 to discuss the issues raised by the engineers.

Giving in to their demands, the state government had not extended PSPCL director (Generation) GS Chhabra’s tenure on May 28, he added.

“The government has also initiated the selection process for appointment of directors in different departments including commercial, distribution, finance and generation, which were lying vacant,” he said.